Humility is overcoming hubris. This time of year spiders remind me of it. In the film Amazing Grace, the story of William Wilberforce begins with him trying to hold onto a mystical experience. He calls it “getting a wet ass and wanting nothing but spider webs.” I am sure his experience inspires these thoughts to some degree. Outdoor Humility The storm of the previous day led to the fog last Sunday morning. This time of year, when Summer has only a... Read more
Bill Bryson tells of a neighbor who drove to a nearby gym which would be a 20 minute walk to use a treadmill. “I have a program.” She explained. The irony is she could walk twenty minutes to get exercise. But she like many Americans believes she must have some sort of program or method or the exercise does not matter. Hot yoga plays on the idea that a person is not exercising unless they are sweating. In the same... Read more
Westerns are often revenge stories. We could name any number of them. Last night, I watched one called, The Ballad of Lefty Brown, which is a revenge story with a mixed ending. Vengeance is gained but everything worthwhile is lost. Life is forfeit. Is that a good story? I cannot answer that. The characters confuse revenge with justice. And the main character is the only one who seems to understand that truth. But, in the end, even he is not redeemed.... Read more
Do we picture Jesus as a person on the margins? Progressive Christians do see him that way. Some evangelicals and fundamentalists do. Prosperity gospel advocates tend to place Jesus in the middle of everything promising great rewards for those who follow him. Many conservative evangelicals have adopted this stance too. Progressives typically see Jesus on the margins of society. I also see Jesus on the margins of the church. Margins of The Church Where is the focus of the leadership... Read more
Telling a lie for a good cause presents an ethical quandary. Rahab’s lie is upheld as a good example in most Sunday school literature. “But the woman took the two men and hid them. Then she said, ‘True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they came from. And when it was time to close the gate at dark, the men went out. Where the men went, I do not know. Pursue them quickly, for you... Read more
An issue for many addicts choosing recovery is the obvious connection between evangelical ideas of conversion and becoming sober. The first 3 steps of the twelve in most programs are about being powerless to save ourselves, admitting the Higher Power is only capable of saving us, and surrendering to the Higher Power. For an addict who is also eXvangelical, it sounds all-too-familiar. It should. The Oxford Movement, from which the 12 step program Alcoholics Anonymous separated, was both fundamentalist and... Read more
As the meeting began, the chair solemnly opened with righteousness, “I think it is important we remember that we are meeting on stolen land.” Unfortunately, it set no tone for the meeting nor was mentioned again. No matter how somberly we can say them, they are just words. We could analyze how many times the land was stolen by whom and for what reasons. If we want restorative justice, we take into account what would it mean to make amends... Read more
Practically everyone knows about the church mask. All calls for authenticity in churches are calls to remove the mask of righteousness to some degree. Few people calling for such actions are interested in having full view of another person. Rather, we prefer some people keep the veneer of normality in place to keep the rest of us comfortable. And then some people are so confused they believe being their authentic selves requires a mask. Calls for authenticity in churches are... Read more
Church folk sure like going to court. Imagined injuries now make laws and policies. The Mosaic law allowed for redress for injuries. “When an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox shall be stoned…If an ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned and not restrained it, and it kills a man or woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner shall also be put to death” (Exodus 21:28-29)... Read more
The Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program is often referred to as the TCAP test. My son says that stands for “torturing children at public schools.” Every year these achievement tests cause anxiety among students, parents, and faculty. Okay, students and faculty shared more anxiety than the parents. This the last day of school many parents started to feel similar anxiety. The notifications came late in the evening that their high achieving students could be repeating the third grade. The TCAP showed... Read more
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